The Post-War Development of the Modern Domestic Ideal

Abstract

Being ‘at home’ means something quite different in the 1980s from what was understood by the term 40 or so years ago. To begin with, the material circumstances in which people lead their home lives have altered dramatically since the 1940s. War-time damage and neglect had added to the problems of the previous decade to leave the country’s housing stock seriously run-down and inadequate. From this starting point, developments in the field of housing in the subsequent four decades have inevitably had a major impact on people’s domestic lives. Dramatic changes have also occurred in the technology with which homes are equipped, and the spread of ownership and use of modern domestic appliances has heralded new forms of domestic organisation, albeit not necessarily those more egalitarian ones which have frequently been anticipated. Further, changing ideas about family relationships and behaviour in the domestic sphere have played an important part in the evolution of everyday life in the home. People’s perceptions and expectations of family life have shifted and, as they have done so, ideas about home life have altered too. This chapter is devoted to charting the major features of these changes that have taken place in home life over the course of the post-war period.